A print ad in Wednesday’s edition of USA Today depicts a Listerine bottle donning a stethoscope. A healthy mouth, the new ad suggests, leads to a healthy body. “If you think it’s just for your mouth,” the ad states, “think bigger.”

Never mind that research on this is, at best, vague.

“There’s an association between the health of the mouth and the health of the body,” said Dr. Madeline Monaco, director of oral care professional relations, and a member of Listerine’s research and development team.

Technically, that’s not proven. No cause and effect studies yet show if gingivitis or gum disease can cause health problems such as heart disease or diabetes.

The latest campaign comes after Listerine had to change its advertising in January 2005 after a judge ruled that comparing the mouthwash to dental floss was false and misleading.

“We really did our homework to make sure that what we were saying reflected the state of the science,” Monaco said, including discussions with the ADA, the American Heart Association and the American Medical Association.